Wanderer Of The Wind
by Komorebi-En
Summary: Nowadays, many people have forgotten about him over the changing years of the Great Pirate Era. He doesn't mind though; all he wants to do for living is to cook good ramen and travel around the world like he has been doing for several centuries. But it's such a shame that his quiet living would soon be shattered again by a certain, unique yet familiar self-proclaimed "Pirate King".
1. Prologue I: The Empty Throne

**Title** : Wanderer Of The Wind

 **Summary** : Nowadays, many people have forgotten about him from the ever-changing years of the Great Pirate Era. He doesn't mind though; all he wants to do for living is to cook good ramen and travel around the world like he has been doing for several centuries. But it's such a shame that his quiet living would soon be shattered apart by a certain, unique yet familiar self-proclaimed "Pirate King".

 **Disclaimer** : One Piece is created and owned by Oda Eiichiro, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Reading these two amazing mangas have given me will to live through final exams...and life...

 **Warnings:** Major spoilers. Language. No pairings in mind right now. Mostly family, friendship, adventure and hurt/comfort genre.

I also want to give a shoutout to my favorite authors: wolfsrainrules, cywscross, and cywsaphyre for giving me inspiration to write this story. Their stories are amazing. If you have time, please do read their works.

-En

* * *

 _._

 _._

 _Prologue I:_

 ** _The Empty Throne_**

 _._

 _._

 _Inside a certain bar, the two figures sat across the counter with steaming, large bowls placed in front of them. The delicious scent of different seasonings and broth filled the room, along with a hint of rum, ocean, and metal. One of the figures reached across the counter and took a pair of chopsticks, letting a grin of joy spread across their face as they started to eat what was inside the bowl. The other presence sitting next to him in the right laughed, their voice filled with amusement and fondness, before they followed suit and started to slurp in the perfectly cooked noodles._

 _A loud "clank" echoed throughout the bar as the last drop of broth was consumed and the porcelain bowl was placed down gently on the wooden surface._

" _...This taste never changes."_

 _First one to finish, the owner of a deep yet powerful voice comments. Right at this moment, anyone can detect the wavering tone of his voice and emotions. Thick with nostalgia, joy, determination, tiredness, and "_ _ **burning**_ _**will**_ " _. But people will certainly not believe that a man who conquered all, obtained everything a person can ever dream, was capable of breaking down like this. However, showing weakness in a way that did not make him look "weak", the man can certainly make people bow to their knees with his presence alone._

 _The presence of a "_ _ **King**_ " _._

" _This world is always changing, but I know this taste will never change. As long as you stay who you are, my old friend."_

 _The man cloaked in red and gold-rimmed coat slowly stands up, raises his right hand and takes something off from around his neck. A beautiful, sapphire-colored crystal reflects the sunlight as the necklace was placed gently on the counter. He tilts his head slightly to the left, smiling gently at the empty seat, where no one should be sitting but the man continues to talk as if someone is there. His voice filled with respect and gratitude, and a farewell._

" _I guess this is the time to finally return this to you."_

 _The man grins wide and proudly, before turning around and showing his back to his "right-hand". He glances over his shoulder, the grin on his face widening, and the determined look in his eyes never disappearing._

 _The sight of the man standing so proudly, strongly, certainly didn't look like he will be walking towards his own death soon. Even after years of long journey and fighting against sickness that was slowly breaking him apart, he was still the same man whom "he" chose to follow, to trust, to protect and to fight for._

" _...I'm not going to die, partner."_

 _The very last moments of the " **Pirate King"** , _

_His **Captain** , _

_and above everything else,_

 _His **best friend** never sounded so bright and joyful._

 _Silver Rayleigh closes his eyes, never turning back to see the fading footsteps heading towards the door, and whispers a single word in revenant, wavering voice to his captain and the other presence in the bar._

" _Thank you."_

 _._

 _._

 _._

* * *

 ** _Sabaody Archipelago_**

* * *

 _._

 _._

 _._

"...If you're still here, I just wanted to say that I think you made the soup a little too salty."

Rayleigh laughs jokingly, ignoring the blurriness in his eyes, blinking it away along with the remnants of old memories. Of his captain's last moments.

People often say the way to a person's heart is through their stomach.

And in a way, what was happening right now wasn't too far away from that phrase.

He holds up the empty bowl and smiles,

"Can I have seconds?"

Leaning against the wall of the bar, currently colored in different shades of scarlet, yellow, and orange, the figure bathed in the light of the sunset moves slowly and a grin appears from their half-shadowed face.

"I'm guessing a bottle of your best sake will be the payment, right?"

Rayleigh widens his smile at the old friend, and laughs.

"Of course, I was planning to have a banquet with you anyway. It already has been 10 years since you last visited this island… Where were you wandering off this time?"

The former "right-hand" of the Pirate King asks curiously, perhaps even a little childishly, at the other presence in the bar.

The familiar, fox-like grin curves up into a large smile, as the figure finally steps out of the shadow created by the sunset, and reaches up to tap his neckline with a finger. Making it obvious to see the absence of a certain accessory around his neck, and Rayleigh widened his eyes in utter astonishment and awe.

Because the Dark King knows what the other man was implying,

The time has finally come.

Over the years, the untold legends of this man has been hidden - _forgotten_ \- from the eyes of the public, the Marine Headquarter and the World Government. Then again, who would've guessed that someone dangerous and powerful as him will be just traveling around the world and cook ramen?

(Although they're delicious.)

With wide eyes, Rayleigh continues to stare at the other man who just revealed something a whole world certainly hasn't been expecting. And definitely not ready for.

... **Unpredictable**. Kind. **Fierce**. Dangerous. **Protector.**

Like a maelstrom passing by, a dragon protecting its "treasure"...

Or a wandering 'ghost' of the wind.

This 'young man', whose appearance has never changed ever since the first day he met him on the Oro Jackson with Gold Roger, was always cloaked in unsolvable mysteries.

And now, the man standing in front of him was smiling as if he found something interesting and worth it enough to give away the "symbol".

The Symbol of Loyalty.

In contrast to Rayleigh's growing turmoil, a pair of sapphire eyes closes and makes a upturned-crescent shape. The sound of a carefree laughter echoes throughout the building.

"I finally found the next **King**!"

* * *

.

.

.

Thank you for reading.

\- En


	2. Prologue II: A bowl of gold

**Title** : Wanderer Of The Wind

 **Summary** : Nowadays, many people have forgotten about him from the ever-changing years of the Great Pirate Era. He doesn't mind though; all he wants to do for living is to cook good ramen and travel around the world like he has been doing for several centuries. But it's such a shame that his quiet living would soon be shattered apart by a certain, unique yet familiar self-proclaimed "Pirate King".

 **Disclaimer** : One Piece is created and owned by Oda Eiichiro. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Reading the newest chapter for One Piece while drinking hot green tea is truly a relaxing time...and helps me forget reality. ( _Looks away from the pile of essays on my desk_ )

 **Warnings:** Major spoilers. Language. No pairings in mind right now. Mostly friendship. family, adventure, and hurt/comfort genre. Spelling and grammar.

Thank you everyone for your follows and favorites. And the following readers; **Jojotheshadow** , **secret love writer** , **Dragon God of Miracles** , and **Reptil** for your reviews. I hope to try my best to not disappoint your expectations.

-En

* * *

 _._

 _._

 _Prologue II:_

 ** _A bowl of gold_**

 _._

 _._

* * *

 _ **X** years ago..._

* * *

"Come on, Luffy!"

Impatience. Excitement. A trace of worry.

He hears his 'big brother' calling out for him, and charcoal-like eyes blinks twice before moving up; his gaze landing on the faraway figure standing on top of the grassy hill. The bright sun behind him made it a little difficult to look straight ahead, and Luffy squinted his eyes. The youngest of the two grumbles a bit. Why was Ace always faster than him? Suddenly a soft breeze tilts the rim of his treasure, the straw hat, downards and enough to cover his eyes. Hearing the older boy calling his name again, Luffy scrambles back on his feet and fixes his hat, a large grin spreading across his face. "Wait up Ace!"

His short legs desperately tries to climb up the large hill, seeing the taller boy laugh as he turns to the opposite direction and runs down the grassy path. Luffy let out a shout as he slips instead, rolling down like a tumbleweed, getting pieces of twigs and leaves in his hat and hair. He quickly stood up, adjusting his hat and following the other boy deeper into the forest. It was like a maze when he first entered this mountain, but now he knew the paths like the back of his hand.

They reached a small clearing first, the freckled boy bounding ahead, Luffy scrambling to keep up. They ran through the trees, occasionally swinging from branch to branch, laughing and competing against each other. But slowly the distance between them increased, no matter how fast he tried to run, and Ace was already at the river by the time he caught up, balanced on a log and looking at him with a smug grin and his metal pipe leaning against his shoulder. "I win again."

"Aww man! No fair..." Luffy whines as he caught his breath and stared up at his older brother. But immediately, an excited grin replaced the look of childish frustrantion on his face.

"Ace! I can finally stretch my arm like a pistol!" Luffy announced, beaming up at the other figure and raising a small fist in the air. "I'm getting stronger and I'll finally beat you this time!"

Amused by his young brother's antics, Ace rolled his eyes at him before he made a scoffing noise and leapt nimbly back to the ground, standing in front of the smaller boy with a curl to his lips that's clearly mocking. "You? No way, you're still way too weak! I saw you hitting yourself again with your own fist yesterday, Lu."

A flicker of burning determination lights up in the round, black eyes. The straw-hat boy glares angrily at the older figure; he didn't like to be called 'weak'! He had to become stronger, strong enough to...

.

 _"Come on Ace, don't bully Luffy too much. He's our younger brother!"_

 _._

He sees a flash of **someone** in his memories, and he bites his lips to stop himself from crying, because Ace doesn''t like crybabies and he wasn't going to cry anymore.

Crying makes him weaker.

"I can!" Luffy insisted, and then he proceeded to show him, rolling up his sleeves first before turning around and focusing on a small boulder in the distance. Luffy narrows his eyes, sticks out a tongue in concentration, and reels back his fist as he shouts loudly. " _Gum Gum no_..." He stretches his arm back as it became longer and longer, "... _Pisto_ -Wow!" He shouts in surprise as his stretched out arm suddenly snapped forward, the force of the movement bringing the small body to move as well, and Luffy smacked his face against the ground.' _Ow_...' He grumbles as he lifts his dirt-covered face up and sees the freckled boy holding his stomach and laughing. For a brief moment, he sees Ace laughing together with 'him', side by side. He sees the wide grin with a missing tooth, hears the words of encouragement, and feels the gentle pat on his head.

Luffy blinks, and the reality settles once again.

 _He's not here anymore._

"-Pfft...! Good job, Luffy. Haha!" Ace wipes a tear from the corner of his eyes, the freckles on his cheeks moving up as he gives his younger brother a large grin. But then, he caught the sight of large tears welling up in Luffy's eyes and promptly froze, faltering under the obsidian of his watery eyes and the quiet whimpering noise. And a certain name that also slipped from the other boy's lips. He feels himself become tense at the sound of it. Even though he should be used to seeing the smaller boy cry like this, Ace couldn't help but feel anger, grief, and hurt build up inside of him. Because he knows the reason why Luffy is crying like this; he knows the raw, gaping wound that would never completely heal in their hearts. The gaping, never-ending empitiness that was now opening up again. He wanted to forget about it, but knows the large part of him will never allow it. Because the memories of 'him' was all they had left.

 _That day, what they wanted back wasn't the letters,_

 _it wasn't the words of devastating truth,_

"...Ace," Wobbly, weak voice calls out the older boy's name.

 _-all they wanted back was their one and only brother._

The freckled-boy doesn't respond, looking away and clenching his still small hands into fists, feeling helpless and angry ( _at who? Luffy? Himself?)_ the longer he listens to the other's hiccups and whimpers. It reminds of himself when he broke down like that, crying alone in a place where Luffy wasn't there, at the cliffside near the ocean and the waves that erased the sound of his cries.

"It's been three months already." Ace says with a harsh tone, "We promised we won't cry anymore, remember?"

Three months.

Three months of training, training, and training. Single-mindedly trying to become stronger.

Because the world doesn't wait for anyone just because they lost someone precious to them, the time doesn't stop for two helpless and weak brats, and all they can do now is to keep running forward.

"I-I miss him."

Ace snarls, whipping around, and grabbing the collar of Luffy's shirt. He forces the smaller boy to stand up and glares at the tear-stained face. "HE'S NOT COMING BACK!" He shoves him back, watching the other stumble back and fall on his bottom, and continues to yell in a raging yet broken voice. "YOU'RE WEAK BECAUSE YOU KEEP CRYING LIKE THAT!"

Raising his small hands, Luffy roughly scrubs his reddened eyes in a futile attempt to stop the tears, glaring back at the enraged figure. "I'M NOT WEAK! I NEED TO GET STRONGER...! I NEED TO BECOME STRONGER TO PROTECT YOU, DADAN, AND EVERYONE!" He stands up and clutches the rim of his straw hat, "AND I'M GOING TO BECOME THE PIRATE KING ONE DAY!"

Ace widens his eyes before narrowing them again in fury, he bared his teeth and snarls; "Protect? Who said you needed to protect me?!"

"I'm gonna get stronger, just you wait!" Luffy shouts, his gaze determined and honest, but still somewhere desperate and broken in his eyes. "I won't need you to always protect me anymore!"

Dark obsidian eyes widens, showing a flicker of emotions Luffy wasn't familiar seeing in Ace's eyes, and it was oddly like grief and hurt. He hasn't seen Ace look so... lost, except that day when they lost 'him'. But it was gone before he can see it again, watching how Ace become tense with restrained movement and his knuckles turning white.

"...Do what you want," His big brother said abruptly, turning away. "See if I care. I don't have time to babysit you all the time anyway."

Taken aback by the other's hostile tone ( _because Ace never talked to him like that, except when he first met him. Before they exchanged the cup of sakes and became brothers._ ) Luffy stares at back of the older boy in an almost dazed state, the sight of his older brother leaving reminding him of unwanted memories and experiences. A heavy, cold feeling of dread fills his veins.

 _He's going to be alone again._

Ace was already disappearing through the trees by the time he managed to stand up. He ran after the other boy, not wanting to lose sight of him, but he didn't call after Ace to ask him to slow down. Ace was mad, and he'd learned that it was never a good idea to him more mad, even if he was his big brother. Part of him was stubborn and didn't want to ask for the other's forgiveness. But the other part of him was afraid he said something he shouldn't have, and didn't know what to apologize for. So he didn't say anything and just did his best to keep up. He had shorter legs though, and Ace was fast, and he took a route that even Luffy wasn't familiar with, in a thicker part of the forest with boulders and fallen trees scattered all over the place so he had to jump or climb over them every few steps. He could only catch glimpses of Ace's dark hair and blue shirt through the undergrowth, and then, several more minutes, he lost sight of those too.

( _His instincts told him something was wrong. He should know where he is right now. He shouldn't be lost._ )

( _But he doesn't know,)_

 _(as if he just wandered into a different world, and they_ _shouldn't be here right now.)_

And now here he is, with the woods getting darker as the sun set in, welcoming the dark abyss that was slowly enveloping the sky.

"Ace?" He finally cries out, anxiety overriding his stubbornness of not wanting to call out for help. "Ace! I'm sorry I made you mad!"

He shouts a few more times and tries to run faster in the direction he last saw his big brother, but that only makes him trip over a tree root and scrape his knee when he goes down, and Ace doesn't come back for him. By the time he stumbles to an exhausted halt, the night has already fallen, and a light drizzle had started up. His eyes sting, and his throat feels tight. He scrubs a sleeve over his eyes and coughs to clear his throat before taking a deep breath, hoping to pick up a scent trail leading back home because now all he smells is dirt and rain, and there's a tingle in his nose that means a storm is coming.

A distant rumble of thunder that sounds far too much like a hostile growl makes him jump. Still, the weather isn't that bad yet. And he's made of rubber. He'd probably survive getting hit by lightning. He glances around, nervously eyeing the trees and the rocks and the shadows looming large over everything. His gaze settles on a rock formation in the distance, one that juts up and out, and when he reaches it, he realizes that it's actually a small cliff, with a river – black and deep – down below.

The rain begins falling harder, another boom of thunder sounds, and a flash of lightning follows several seconds later. Luffy flinches at the noise, and after another moment of hesitation, he ducks under the cliff and crawls into the space beneath the rock, just big enough to fit him and shelter him from the downpour. He shivers a little, his clothes wet enough that it's getting a bit chilly for him. But at least he isn't getting rained on anymore, and now he just has to wait for the storm to pass.

He pulls up his knees and rests his chin on them. For a while, it seems as if the storm is right above him, and his ears ring every time there's a crack of thunder. It feels like hours before the noise grows distant again, but the rain comes down harder than ever, turning the soil under his feet muddy. He presses farther back into the unsteady space that he's taken refuge in, staring uneasily at the sheer drop only a few feet away from his toes. He isn't stupid enough to move too much or fool around near the edge though so he should be fine.

Until he hears a splash, and then another, and then another, faint but still audible, and it draws him out of his daze. For a long, confused minute, he squints groggily into the night, trying to figure out where the noise is coming from. It doesn't sound like rain hitting the river below-

He yelps when the ground under his left foot gives way, and he tries to scramble back, except he has nowhere to go. He manages to rise to his knees, and the extra height gives him a glimpse of the river, the water level now much higher than before, with the muddy ground of the ledge Luffy has been sitting on slowly but steadily crumbling into the roiling depths.

He stays frozen in place for half a moment more, heart pounding in his chest, watching the rest of the ledge disappear, and then instinct takes over, and without thinking, he launches himself from what remains of his shelter and towards one side of the cliff with branches instead, twisting in midair and stretching his arms like a rubber in a desperate attempt to get some kind of handhold that would save him from falling.

He slams into the rock, and for a second, with his nails digging into the muddy surface, he thinks maybe he made it, maybe he's safe. But then, the branches snaps under his weight like cobwebs, and with a terrified scream, Luffy plunges backwards into the dark, with nothing but the wild black currents of the river to catch him. He thrashes hard even as the river tosses him left and right and up and down until he no longer knows which way is which. His lungs strain for air, and he makes one last-ditch effort to propel himself in one direction and hopefully break the surface, but the burst of strength only takes him through more water, and he has no choice but to breathe in-

" _ **LUFFY!**_ "

Before he sinks deeper into the darkness, he thought he heard a familiar voice calling out his name. Despite the coldness of water biting into him like fangs and the indescribable pain choking his lungs, he feels the warmth of relief and comfort at the sound of his older brother.

 _He's safe now._

 _Everything will be okay._

And his mind finally embraces the darkness.

.

.

.

.

* * *

 **Before the rain and darkness falls...**

* * *

 _._

 _._

His eyes and throat feels like they're burning, and something painful and sharp was rushing through his veins, Ace grits his teeth as he mindlessly walks. He doesn't know why he felt so frustrated, he should be used to Luffy making him feel mad, he learned that's what younger brothers are for. But this was something different; Luffy's words struck him deep in a place where he kept all of his fears, insecurities, and helplessness locked up.

 _I won't need you to always protect me anymore!_

Luffy was his only remaining family. His brother. Who was going to protect that crybaby until he became strong enough to set out to the sea alone?

He needed to protect Luffy no matter what. He was his older brother. He can't be weak in front of him.

Ace narrows his eyes and drops his gaze to the ground, watching his feet slowly starting to slow down before coming to a complete stop. He takes a deep breath and turns around, "Luffy-"

The words he was about to say died before they can escape his lips; his eyes widening at the sight of dark woods, with no sight of familiar straw hat following him. The sensations in his hands, feet, and face goes numb; Ace inhales a sharp breath as unforgiving dread fills up inside of him. Something wet touches his freckled cheek and his shoulders jump up, he looks up to see grey clouds gathering across the night sky.

 _...What the hell?_

There was no sign of rain today, and he should know where he was in this mountain like the back of his hand, and yet...

Where was he?

Why wasn't Luffy with him?

The freckled-boy widens his eyes and tightens the hold around his metal pipe, "Luffy!" He shouts as he starts to run back the path he came from. But everything in the forest looked unfamiliar, unnatural, and his instincts shouted at him to turn back. To not go deeper into woods. Something dangerous was hiding among the forest, something more scarier and powerful than any beasts living in this mountain. But he ignored the warnings; because there was no way in deepest pit of hell that he was leaving Luffy behind.

The rain starts to pour down harder, blurring his vision and Ace pushes back his long bangs to try to get a clearer view. He desperately looks around, searching for the familiar straw hat and a bright red shirt Luffy was wearing today.

"Luffy! Where are you?!"

The only responses he got was the sound of the rain and the fierce, rushing river that seemed to have increase in size from the additional water. His frantic gaze falls to the dark, deep water that seemed like slithering snakes, searching for any prey to drag in. An unwanted thought slips into his mind, a possible worst scenario plays out, and Ace's already pale face loses another shade of color as he runs towards the river.

Nearing the edge of a cliff, he catches a glimpse of small figure jumping to the other side of the cliff.

 _That idiot!_

He hears the sound of branches snapping under the other's weight.

He sees the straw hat falling into the river.

 _ **"LUFFY!"**_

Ace jumps in without thinking, his hand reaching out, and the coldness of the water stabbing into him as the river envelopes him. Leaching out any warmth he had in his body as he desperately swims through the dark abyss, searching for any glimpse of his younger brother. But the air in his lungs were quickly disappearing, his mind starting to go numb and unable to keep his consciousness.

Feeling his eyes slowly closing, he reaches out his hand and-

 _Not again._

-feels something like a hand, smaller and familiar, and tightens the hold around it and swears to never let go.

 _He'll never lose anyone again._

Ace closes his eyes...

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

* * *

 **The rain stops.**

* * *

.

.

.

.

...and sit up gasping for air.

 _Water._

 _Darkness._

 _Drowning._

It's dark, is the first thing he notices as he sees the starry sky. I'm alive, is the second thought he has in his mind. It takes him several disorienting minutes to catch his breath and realize he isn't dead. He's drenched from head to toe, but otherwise, he feels okay. Ace tilts his head to the side and sees a familiar straw hat, his eyes widens when he sees the familiar figure lying not too far away, and the freckled-boy hastily stands up. With a newfound strength, his feet quickly carries him closer to the smaller figure.

"Luffy!"

Crouching down, Ace reaches out a hand and touches the other's pale cheek.

He froze.

 _...Cold._

Ace moves his gaze to the other's unmoving chest.

Suddenly, his breathing gets heavier and harder to do, the hand touching Luffy's cheek starts to tremble.

Why is Luffy so _cold_?

 _Nonononono-_

"...Luffy! LUFFY!"

 _You can't leave me too_

Quickly, he positions his hands on top of the smaller boy's chest and pushes down. He repeats the process again, again, and again. But the body beneath his hands doesn't respond. Luffy doesn't open his eyes.

Why wasn't he breathing?

Why,

Why was Luffy not waking up?

"Wake up...! Wake up, Luffy!"

 _Please don't die_

 _Please don't leave me alone_

He doesn't know how much time has passed.

The palms of his hands feels like they're burning, but nothing can compare to the scorching, painful heat he feels in his chest.

Slowly, the strength drains out of him and his hands uselessly lies on top of the unmoving body. Through a blurry vision, Ace stares at the pale face of his younger brother and feels something stream down his cheeks. It hurts. Just like that day when he lost his other brother, his best friend, he lost his only younger brother too. The world feels empty and gaping and so terribly open again, as if it's about to fall away beneath his feet and leave him spinning out into nothingness. Raging anger and self-hatred burns at his throat and behind his eyes, curls up through him like a twist of fire and makes it almost impossible to breathe. His voice catches in his throat, tangled up with a bitten cry, and he clenches his hands into fists; _why didn't he pay more attention to him? Why couldn't he protect him? If only he didn't turn his back on him, if only he waited for Luffy and walked side by side with him,_

 _if only he-_

A snap of a twig behind him startles him, and Ace hastily jumps into a protective crouch, an almost animalstic snarl escaping his gritted teeth and unable to stop himself from narrowing his reddened, teary eyes when a figure steps out from behind a tree. He sees nothing but red, only capable of sensing the sudden tenseness in the air, as the shadowed figure steps closer. His mind screams at him to run, to hold Luffy and run away as far as he can, but his body refuses to move. Helpless grief and rage rises in him as the freckled-boy draws in the unmoving, lifeless body of his younger brother closer. The lack of warmth in his arms becoming a painful reminder of harsh truth.

 _...He's gone._

 _Luffy is **gone**._

 _ **gone, gone, gonegonegone** -_

 _"...?"_

Ace hears someone say something with a deep, timbre and soothing voice; but the words in his mind doesn't quiet down, the beating of his own heart too loud for his ears.

He can't breathe.

He can't think.

He-

"... _Will you exchange your own life for **him**_?"

A sudden clarity of the words sinks in; young, broken, and desperate charcoal-like eyes clashes with ancient, dangerous yet gentle sapphire eyes. At first glance, Ace thinks it's just a _man_ , with tanned skin and golden hair, and dressed in a unfamiliar outfit of hooded-cloak. His eyes could almost past for a human blue if not for the fact that they're too bright for such a normal colour, bright and deep in a way that reminds the young boy of sky and ocean merged together.

" _We don't have much time_ ," The 'young man' says, his voice smooth and quiet like a hum, except with words included. He stops a mere foot away from Ace and crouches down to his height. He meets Ace's eyes, and for a moment, Ace feels momentarily terrified. The man tilts his head, his gaze that much sharper, never wavering. " _What will your answer be_?"

Ace feels his throat become painfully dry and tight, the tears in his eyes seeming incapable of stopping at all, and his hands feels weak. But the arms he has wrapped around the much smaller, fragile body doesn't weaken.

He doesn't know who this man is,

This guy could be a enemy,

And yet, right now, what he feels towards this man was only **absolute trust**.

"...Save him."

He whispers,

"Please,"

The volume of his hoarse, once defeated and broken, voice increases in volume.

"Take my head, my heart, my arms, my legs- _my life_!"

Ace **_commands_** , his gaze burning with _will_. The air around him trembles for a heartbeat of second.

" **Save Luffy**!"

And he must've done something right, even though he didn't know what it was, because the man smiled, just for a moment, like he was both amused and proud of Ace, and then there was nothing except golden light all around him, and all Ace felt was _safewarmprotected_ -

.

.

.

" _As expected of **his** son_,"

The 'young man' laughs, clear and bright and nostalgic, as he reaches a gentle hand and lays it on top of Luffy's forehead. The deep, ancient gaze falls on the older boy of the two brothers.

" _But don't worry, kid. Now's not the time for both of your journeys to end._ "

The warm, golden light inensifies and embraces the smaller body in Ace's arms. The freckled-boy stares in speechless awe, watching how the rays of light moved around like they were alive. The night sky above them seems to also glow in a sunset-like light, coloring the entire heaven into deep shades of red, orange, and yellow.

 **Thump.**

 **Thump.** **Thump.**

Suddenly, Ace feels and hears something; it was still faint but constant, and the sound gradually gains its volume and strength. The light slowly dies down, leaving only the gentle glow of moonlight to shine upon them, finally peeking through the grey clouds.

"...Ace?"

Luffy opens his eyes sleepily, opening his mouth wide and yawning like he just took a long, long nap. He blinks again and looks up, slightly startled and confused by the expression on his older brother's face. Did he need to go to the bathroom?

"Why are you making such a weird face? Do you need to poop?" The youngest of the two tilts his head before yelping in surprise when a pair of strong arms embraced him tightly.

Ace ignores the confused 'What's wrong?' from his younger brother and tightens his hold. He tries his hardest to hide the slight tremble in his voice.

"...Idiot."

Still confused by what was going on and the other's strange behavior, Luffy simply hugs back and let out his signature laugh; "Shishishi!" He was happy that Ace wasn't mad anymore, although he was pretty sure he fell in the river and almost drowned... He blinks and tilts his head, finally noticing the unfamiliar yet comforting presence, and looks at the blonde-haired man currently sitting down on the ground next to them. Giving them an amused grin and a casual wave.

"Who're you?" Luffy asks curiously and excitedly, scooting closer towards the mysterious man with Ace who was still protectively by his side. But the freckled boy didn't stop the other, simply staring at the blue-eyed figure with slight wariness, curiosity and gratitude. If Ace wasn't giving this man the death glares, that meant he was a good guy right? He also felt warm like sunlight too! "Did you save me and Ace?"

Looking more amused by Luffy's question, the young man laughs. "Not quite." He shakes his head and gestures at the freckled boy, "Your older brother was the one who saved you."

Ace frowns and retorts, "But you were the one who brought Luffy back to life!" He crosses his arms, not backing down when the other man raises a brow and glares defiantly.

Luffy widens his eyes, which quickly turned bright and starry, and lets out an awed shout. "Wow! You did?! Are you a mysterious man?!" He jumps up and down, unable to contain his excitement. The blue-eyed man opens his mouth to answer him, but suddenly, a loud grumble echoes throughout the clearing. And it wasn't only just one grumble, but two. Immediately, Luffy falls down and whines about being starving. And Ace turns bright red with shame and looks away with a loud 'tch!'

"...How about you two get some food first?" The man grinned, laughing loudly, as he smoothly stands on his feet and gestures the sibling to follow. Ace and Luffy looks at each other, curious and confused, before following the taller figure through the woods. It took only about a minute or two until they arrived at a different clearing, where a stream of river lead to a large, beautiful lake. And there was a odd, cart-like wooden building with stools placed on one side. There was also a long counter and what seemed like a miniature kitchen inside. The large, black and red-bolded word on the sign read;

" **Ichiraku** "

Without hesitance, Luffy enters the cart and sits on one of the round stools, looking around with awe and curiosity. Ace warily takes a seat next to the straw hat boy, observing what was inside the building, and notices how the blonde-haired man was on the other side of the counter and stirring something. He takes a sniff in the air and almost drools at the delicious scent that wafted throughout the cart, he already sees Luffy sprawled on the wooden surface of the counter and drooling nonstop.

"...What are you making?" Ace asks cautiously, carefully hiding the traces of awe from his voice as he sees the unhesitant, fluid movement of the young man cutting up some vegetables with a kitchen knife. Then, the taller and older figure uses one hand to hold up a net-like equipment from the steaming large pot, taking out what seemed like lightly-brown and golden-colored noodles.

A sound of carefree humming was the only response he got, which made Ace twitch in slight irritation and impatience, but the feelings were quickly replaced by curiosity when the man placed two empty and... cracked? bowls in front of him and Luffy.

Well, not necessarily 'cracked', but still had visible lines through the bowls. Which seemed to be filled in with beautiful gold. As if a molten, liquified gold was poured into the cracks to keep the shape of these porcelain bowls intact.

"Why are these bowls cracked?" Luffy points at one of them, staring at the golden lines in fascination.

"Those two are my favorite bowls," The man starts, his voice gaining a nostalgic tint, as if he was remembering something fond and funny. "But my old friends broke them by accident." He laughs towards the end, and Ace blinks at the man's behavior. Instead of laughing, wouldn't people usually feel mad remembering something like that?"I thought about throwing them away, but one of my old friends taught me how to fix it instead."

He reaches over the counter with a large spoon, pouring in golden-brown colored broth in each bowl, and then puts in the noodles.

"It's called " **Kintsukuroi** "; the art of repairing something, mostly pottery, with gold or silver lacquer."

On top of the broth and noodles, the blonde-haired man starts to put different toppings. An boiled egg, pork, seaweed, bamboo shoots, green onions, and a fishcake.

"My friend also taught me it was important understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken."

Finally, the young man places pair of chopsticks on the wooden counter. Ace and Luffy stares at the bowls in front of them, taking in the delicious sight and scent, along with feelings of nostalgia, joy, and sadness.

"...Ramen."

Ace whispers. He remembers when _they_ used to sneak out of the Gray Terminal, only to enter Goa Kingdom in secret, stealing whatever they found valuable and ran away after eating delicious foods. Those moments were the best. It was fun. Among the mountains of memories he had with 'him' and Luffy, he remembers eating the same dish the was now placed in front of him. He remembers, because it was one of the last moments he had with 'him'.

"...Itz yummy...!"

The freckled-boy blinks, glancing to the side and seeing Luffy bawling his eyes out, tears streaming down his stuffed cheeks as he slurped the noodles.

Suddenly, he feels a gentle, warm pat on his head and Ace looks up to see sapphire eyes staring at them with an almost father-like gaze.

"Eat up before the noodles turns soggy." The blonde-haired man gives him and Luffy one last pat, before giving them a wide grin.

"You guys can eat as much as you like!"

Ace blinks, and slowly lowers his gaze, reaching to pick up the chopsticks and started to slurp in the perfectly cooked noodles. The steam of the broth filled the air as the delicious taste filled his mouth. It was really yummy. Nothing like he ever tasted before. His pace started to increase as he quickly finished his first bowl, and held it up. "Seconds please!" He hears Luffy say 'Me too!' in a loud, excited voice.

He sees the blonde-haired man laugh, whom he still doesn't even know his name, and cook more noodles before placing them inside the bowls.

Ace starts to eat his second bowl of ramen, slurping the noodles. He feels something warm settle inside of him, the emotion similar to relief and comfort, as if something broken was finally starting to mend itself. The shattered pieces, which can never be completely fixed but slowly yet surely coming back to one piece, no longer hurting him. He glances up and sees the man place a cup of water in front of Luffy, who looked like he was choking from eating the noodles too fast, with an amused grin.

Maybe, this is what it feels like to have an older brother.

 _...Luffy is troublesome and a crybaby as always,_

 _And I don't know if I can be a good big brother by myself,_

 _But he'll always be our younger brother, right Sabo?_

 _That's why I'll continue to become stronger._

I won't let you down.

Under the starry sky, inside the small yet warm building filled with laughter, Ace takes another sip of his third bow of ramen, relishing the delicious taste.

But for some reason, this one's steam made his eyes a little blurry and it tasted a bit saltier than the rest.

* * *

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 **XxX**

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"Ehh! Do we have to go back, Ace?"

Luffy whines, his stretched arms tightly wrapped around the blue-eyed man, who seemed completely relaxed and even amused by the current situation. He didn't even look phased by Luffy's Devil Fruit ability. Instead, he manages to lift one of his hands and pat the straw hat boy's head.

"You guys are always welcomed to come by and eat."

The boy with a scar under his eye grins happily, shouting a loud 'Really?!' and the blonde-haired man grinned back. He crouches down, Luffy still wrapped around him like koala, and picks up one of the fallen leaves on the ground. He brings it closer to his face and gently breathes on it, making the leaf suddenly glow in a golden light, before dying out to reveal a small, beautiful gold-furred fox with a white-tipped tail. Ace jumps back a bit in surprise and shock at the sudden appearance of the animal, unable to hide his bewilderment and awe. On the other hand, Luffy openly gapes and yells 'COOOLLLL!' with starry look in his eyes.

"Follow him, and you two won't get lost in the forest." The blue-eyed man gently untangles Luffy and sets him on his feet, reaching out to pat the fox's head as well, who nudged its head closer against the man's hand. "Whenever you feel like visiting me, Konoha will be there to greet and lead you two here."

Sheepishly, the young man straightens up and rubs the back of his head, almost apologetic. "As long as I continue staying here, the forest might act a little strange after all."

Ace furrows his brow at the man's words; what did he mean by the forest will act strange as long as he stays in the mountain...? The freckled boy opens his mouth to ask what the older man meant by that, but suddenly, the golden fox leaps on his shoulder. He startles, not only at the almost nonexistent weight of the fox but the way it nudged its cheek against his own.

"Go on, I'm guessing he's excited to finally explore as he lead you guys back." The blonde-haired mused, watching as the fox leapt down from Ace's shoulders and started to run toward a certain direction, Luffy shouted in excited and started to follow the fox.

"Hey! Wait up Luffy!" Ace yells, turning around and about to quickly follow his younger brother, but he halts and glances over his shoulder to look at the young man.

"...We forgot to ask but, who exactly are you?"

Sapphire eyes crinkles shut and a grin on the man's face widens, giving him almost a childish and fox-like look.

"I'm just a old wanderer who likes to cook good ramen. You can just call me -"

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After seeing the two brothers and his old friend lead them back to their home, pair of sapphire eyes stares into the deep words, before the almost glowing and inhuman-like gaze stares at the flowing river that connected to the large lake.

"... _So they were the ones you wanted me to meet?_ "

A gentle movement in the water appeared as a small wave, which wasn't created by the fishes nor the wind, and the blonde-haired man's eyes narrowed slightly. " _Don't play dumb. You almost drowned them, actually you murdered one of them, for ramen god's sake!"_

The flow of the river became a little louder, and the 'young man' sighs and rubs the back of his head in a defeated manner. " _I know you and the mountain were feeling upset that those two were feeling sad lately..But that doesn't mean you can forcefully make them come here."_ He hears a playful splash in the water. _"What? You already knew I was going to help them?"_

A soft breeze sweeps through his bangs, and the man sighs again and looks up at the starry sky, a wide grin appearing across his tanned face and whisker-like marks finally started to appear on his cheeks.

" _The_ _son of the **King** and the son of the mighty **beast** , they're so similar yet so different from their fathers that it's almost scary._"

It'll be interesting what kind of pirates they'll grow up into.

With a quiet whisper, the breeze blows again, and the river continues to flow towards the lake. But not even a single trace of the young man remained as the moonlight shined upon the empty clearing.

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Thank you for reading.

\- En


	3. Chapter 1: The Chosen

**Disclaimer** : One Piece is created and owned by Oda Eiichiro. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

 **Warnings:** Major spoilers. Language. No pairings in mind right now. Mostly friendship. family, adventure, and hurt/comfort genre. Spelling and grammar.

I didn't quite like the way this chapter turned out, and I might change small things here and there later on.

But once again, thank you everyone for your follows and favorites. I'm pretty shocked to see there are people who seems to be interested in this story, thank you for your time reading it. Right now I don't have a constant updating schedule in mind but I hope to update at least once ( _haha...no promises)_ a week for now. And as always, thank you to the following readers; **adislt** , **Dragon God of Miracles, Sageofchaos, Guest, Guest,** **Guest** and **Reptil** for your reviews. There were also some questions so I'll be answering them at the end of this chapter.

Thank you and enjoy.

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 _Chapter 1:_ _" **The**_ ** _Chosen"_**

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 _It burns._

 _It hurts._

 ** _I will not die here._**

 _I can't breathe._

 ** _I have to_** ** _protect them._**

 _Surrounded. Ashes. Smoke. Bleeding._

 _ **Because the enemy is still standing in front of me.**_

 _ **Why do you hesitate?**_

 _ **If you have the power,**_

 _ **the will**_ _ **to protect,**_

 _Don't fear **it.**_

 _Instead,_

 _Let **it** become your **shield** and **sword**_.

(You were chosen to control **it** from the very beginning.)

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 **I.**

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"_!"

The wind blows across the clearing, the leaves on the branches dance to its soundless tune and small waves moved across the surface of a beautiful lake. Two shadowed figures hastily exits from the deep forest and calls out the same word again.

Sapphire eyes looks up at the sound of the familiar voices, and the blonde-haired man smiles and closes his book. He raises his other hand in a casual greeting. "Yo."

Noticing the older figure sitting on a tree trunk, Luffy beams brighter than the morning sun above him and runs towards the middle of the clearing. Wearing his usual straw hat on his head, the raven-haired boy was also wearing a green t-shirt, blue shorts, and sandals. Behind him, Ace quickly follows the shorter boy with his usual, interesting choice of t-shirt that read "Willpower" in a single character. He had his hands shoved inside the pockets of his black shorts and his eyes were narrowed like always, as if he was glaring, but anyone can see the slight bounce in his steps. Unlike his younger brother who openly showed excitement and joy, his facial expression was still more reserved and hidden.

It wasn't because he didn't trust the blonde-haired man, but Ace didn't exactly know how to act around this strange yet friendly person. Ever since that day he saved Luffy's life, ( _which Ace still couldn't figure out how that was possible. Because_ **he** _always distracted him with food and secretive grins whenever he tried to directly ask_ **him**. _It wasn't Ace's fault that the meals cooked by the blonde man were always too delicious to ignore._ ) it became their daily routine to visit this place where the blue-eyed man was staying. The fox named Konoha always appeared when Ace or Luffy called out for the small animal and helped them lead through the weird forest.

Weird as in the entire forest seemed like a big, puzzling maze to the brothers. Despite the fact that they should know the mountain like it was their home.

Once, Luffy tried to go to the place without Ace and the fox, and he got lost again until the blue-eyed man easily found him. His demeanor was calm and collected, even slightly amused by Ace's worried shouts and laughed when the freckled boy started to panic. Out of curiosity, Luffy asked how he knew where he was, and the young man simply replied; " _The forest told me._ " He gave the straw hat boy a small grin and laughed. " _Just kidding, I heard you shouting all the way from my place. I bet everyone in the mountain heard it._ "

 _(Even to this day, Ace and Luffy doesn't know if the man was joking or not.)_

 _(Ace did kick the man in his shin for laughing at his panicked and worried state though._

 _The reaction was more than satisfying when the blonde rolled on the ground with a pained, soundless scream.)_

The minutes turned to hours, and the hours turned to days, and before the brothers knew it; a month have already passed since they met him.

And during those moments, Ace and (even Luffy, out of all people) noticed the blonde-haired man wasn't a...well, _normal_ _human_. The reason might be because they saw him grow out trees with different fruits in a blink of an eye, scare away one of the mighty beasts with a single glance, and most of all; his mere presence just felt **inhumane**. And the feeling of it seemed to influence most, if not all, of the mountains. The forest, the river, and the beasts living nearby seemed more peaceful ( _and yet so very **alive**_ ) every time the brothers walked closer to the hidden place. They were never attacked, not even once, by the untamable beasts who always stayed far away from the hidden place.

As if there was something a lot more powerful than them existing in the mountain, and the beasts respected **it** s' presence.

...Ace's and Luffy's sensitive instincts, honed sharply and deeply by the dangerous environment they lived in, told them the "presence" belonged to the blue-eyed man. The same man who looked and acted so very _human_. The very person who saved both of their lives. Again and again, in the back of their minds, their consciousness told them he was really, _really_ dangerous than he looked.

People say children are sometimes more observant than adults, and perhaps it was true.

But to be honest, it didn't matter to them, because they can also sense how his kindness is genuine. It was odd, how easy it was to trust someone they barely knew about. It felt so natural like breathing in air, however, to trust this man. He acted like a big brother, a guardian, and a mentor. For the past month, he helped them train, showing them a unique fighting style that relied more on defensive techniques, speed, and evasive skills. Ace liked to think he was getting better at it, but Luffy on the other hand, seemed to struggle trying to not attack head-on. The older boy also had a difficult time trying not to be reckless and impatient as well.

Did he also mention they never managed to win any spars with the blonde man so far?

"Shishishi! I'm the first one here Ace!" Luffy exclaims proudly, turning around and grinning widely at his older brother. Ace snorts and reaches forward to pinch and stretch out the other's right cheek.

"We weren't even racing, idiot! So it doesn't count!" He growls and ignores the muffled cries of " _Whaaaht! Nwo faiwr!_ " from the shorter boy.

"What are you guys up to this time?" The blue-eyed man asks with an amused grin, watching how the brothers start to argue loudly and pinch each other's cheeks in front of him, and sees the golden-furred fox sitting on Ace's shoulder. He raises an brow. "Did you call Konoha again to come here?"

"Yep!" Luffy answers cheerfully, finally free from his older brother's grasp and rubs his reddened cheek. Despite the comical tears welling up in the corner of his eyes, the straw hat boy continues to smile brightly.

"We wanted to come see you!" Then his round eyes turns starry and bright, expectant and excited. ""Do you have any ramen for us? Can you show us that cool thing you did again? And teach us how to do it? And-!"

"Wow, slow down." The man laughs, patting the overly excited boy's head. He slightly tilted the other's hat down to cover his eyes while doing so, making Luffy shout in protest. "I'm glad you like my food, kiddo. It's been awhile since I had any good customers who eats a lot like you two," He winks and grins widely. "But you need to eat more different things and vegetables too or else you won't get stronger!"

Fixing his hat in a proper place, Luffy makes a 'yuck' face with his eyes squinted and a tongue sticking out. "Vegetables taste weird though! Meat tastes wayyyy better!"

"I agree." Ace nods sagely.

The blue-eyed man's left eye twitches and sighs. "Geez, you two sound a lot like someone I used to know." He says with a easygoing tone.

But Ace also hears a hint of nostalgia and something else in his voice. The freckled boy tilts his head a little and frowns confusedly; why did he sound like he was remembering something funny but...sad at the same time?

He didn't know what the man was thinking about right now, but Ace didn't really like the way his mood seemed a little down.

"Can I be the first one to fight you today?" Luffy pipes up, not noticing the slight change in the blonde-haired man's behavior, and waves his small arms. "It's not fair that Ace always gets to have a spar with you before me! I wanna show you how much better I got at stretching my arm like a pistol!"

In the blink of an eye, the slightly tense atmosphere around the young man disappeared. Ace inwardly thanked Luffy's obliviousness and sighed in relief, seeing the pair of blue eyes shine with amusement and not the odd, melancholic glaze over them.

"I see." Standing up from the tree trunk, the blonde tucked away his book and gives the straw hat a smile. "Let's see how much you've improved then."

A swirl of wind and leaves suddenly appears in his place, Ace and Luffy widens their eyes in shock when he disappeared without a warning and looks around. They hear a quiet 'thump' behind them and quickly turns around to see the blue-eyed man standing at the other side of the open clearing.

He raises his right hand and made a "come at me" gesture. Anyone can also see the teasing grin on the blonde's face, and Ace comically sweat-drops because he knew the blonde-haired man was doing it on purpose. His taunts always riled up his younger brother ( _and occasionally himself too_ ) and made him attack without thinking.

Except this time,

It didn't.

Luffy frowns childishly with a visible look of frustration on his face but takes a step back, a determined and (dare Ace say with growing horror and shock and THE-WORLD-IS-ENDING despair) _calculating_ look in his coal-like eyes. Instead of rushing forward like he always did in the previous spars with both the blonde and Ace, the boy maintained his distance from the tall man, which was really surprising and shocking based on his reckless personality.

Then the small boy digs the heels of his sandals into the ground and jumps up high in the air. He moves his right arm back without stretching it, while his other hand gripped his right shoulder to keep his posture steady.

" _ **Gomu Gomu No..."**_

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'...- _WOW!'_

 _Luffy shouted in surprise as his fist completely missed the target and hit the tree next to it instead. Then his body was pushed backwards when his stretched out arm returned back to its normal length, the force of it made the raven-haired boy fall on his back._

 _'Aw man...not again...' The boy sat up and picked up his fallen hat from the ground, he glared at the innocent-looking boulder in the distance. He was practicing for hours and yet he couldn't even punch it once! Coal-like eyes stared at his fist, the skin of his knuckles red and bleeding slightly. He was made of rubber so it didn't hurt as much but splinters from the trees still impaled through his skin._

 _'Luffy?'_

 _He blinked and his ears perked up at the sound of a familiar voice, he quickly turned around and saw the blonde-haired man with an exasperated yet entertained expression on his tanned features. 'Are you lost again?'_

 _With a joyful shout, Luffy shot up to his feet and ran towards him; the straw hat boy tackled and then hugged him. The blonde caught him with ease, raising an brow when the boy looked up and grinned brightly. 'Nope! I was training!'_

 _'I could tell.' The blue-eyed man said almost amusingly, then he noticed the injuries on Luffy's knuckles and sighed. 'Let's get you patched up before Ace sees it, he would get mad if he knew that you got hurt again.'_

 _Luffy made a face at the man's words. He didn't like it when Ace got mad, his older brother always gave him lectures and hit his head for making him worried or something. Although Ace would never say the last part out loud._

 _The straw hat boy shifted his attention to the blonde when he placed a hand above his bloodied knuckles. He watched in fascination and awe as the warm, glowing golden-light appeared and changed its form into thin strings, weaving themselves around his injuries. The sensation was almost ticklish, but comforting, like he was bathing in a sunlight. After a heartbeat of second, the bloodstains and cuts completely disappeared, and Luffy grinned excitedly with sparkling eyes. He said a loud, excited 'THANK YOU!' and 'WOW THAT WAS SO COOL!'_

 _The blonde laughed at the boy's_ _enthusiasm and said, 'Your welcome. So what were you practicing?'_

 _Luffy pointed at the large boulder located on the other side of the clearing. 'I was practicing how to punch like a pistol's bullet!'_ _The raven-haired boy frowned. 'But it never hits! My fist always hits something else and I get pushed back every time my arm returns to normal.'_

 _The blue-eyed man listened to the small boy's pent-up frustrations without interrupting and made a understanding sound of 'Ah.'_

' _Your body is still too small to completely resist the recoil of your punch,_ '

 _The blonde-haired man tapped Luffy's right shoulder._

 _'Don't just rely on your dominant hand. You have two hands for a reason. Use your other hand like a lock in place to keep your stretched arm from getting out of control.'_

 _Luffy furrowed his brow, he looked down to look at his left hand. 'But...it looks cooler when you only use one hand to punch!'_

 _Blue eyes shined with visible amusement and understanding, the tall man hummed thoughtfully._

 _'Right now, what you need to work on is control and precision.'_

 _His gaze turned solemn and serious, which made Luffy subconsciously tense and stood a little straighter._

 _'Even if you do have enough power to destroy a boulder, it will only be useless if your attack doesn't land.' The blonde lowered his voice, but it wasn't threatening or scary, but just honest and straight to the point. 'Ace is strong, but that doesn't mean he is invincible._ _Your devil fruit ability can easily hurt someone you hold dear by accident_ _.'_

 _The blonde reached out and ruffled the smaller boy's raven locks; he gave Luffy a reassuring grin._

 _'I know it can feel frustrating, but with practice and time, you will learn how to control it.'_

 _The man continued._

 _'For your technique, instead of stretching your arm to its limit from the very beginning, how about you...'_

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Luffy repeatedly swung his un-stretched arm around, before finally releasing and using the spinning force to stretch his arm back to its current limit, which was long enough to reach several miles above. He tightened his hold on his right shoulder, trying to keep his stretched arm steady and prevent it from snapping forward.

 **"... _PISTOL_!**"

His small fist shot down, speeding through the air current, the gravity helping it become more faster and stronger. Like a steel bullet shot from the pistol, it was certainly difficult for normal human eyes to follow the movement, and Ace had to stop himself from opening his mouth in shock.

Because even from a distance, he could tell that Luffy's punch was more controlled and powerful than before. Of course, Luffy was still just a kid like him, and he knew his younger brother's punch wouldn't hurt the blonde-haired man at all.

But, as his older brother, Ace couldn't help but feel extremely proud of him.

He also guesses that their 'mentor' felt the same too, if the happy and proud grin on his tanned face wasn't a obvious hint enough. Seriously that man acted so childish sometimes, perhaps even more so than him and maybe on equal level with Luffy.

The target of Luffy's attack remained on his spot, watching the fist shoot down from the sky at a increasing speed, and the blonde-haired man grins.

"Good job Luffy! Your precision and control is much better."

He moves his head slightly to the left, dodging the punch with fluid ease and letting the small fist swish past his cheek, before landing on the ground next to his foot. The impact of it making a small crater.

"But you need to practice controlling your strength more,"

Luffy widens his eyes, noticing how he couldn't pull his arm back, due to his fist being stuck inside the ground. Instead of his arm moving up, his entire body started to descend down to the earth, the straw hat boy let out a panicked shout. He didn't miss the evil smirk on the blonde's face as he was falling closer and closer towards the hard surface.

Watching and hearing his younger brother panic and flail his other arm uselessly as he continues to fall, Ace resists the urge to smack his forehead against a nearby tree. Never mind, his brother was still an idiot.

Taking a step back, a pair of blue eyes watched with great amusement as the sound of loud 'SMACK' echoed throughout the open clearing. Now there was a hole that was shaped oddly like a small humanoid crater; the blonde peers into the hole and says casually. "Do you need help getting back up?"

A loud, stubborn 'Nooo!' was heard from the tiny crater. Then a dirt-covered hand emerges from the ground and hangs on to the edge; Luffy pulls himself up and rolls over to his back, coughing up some dust and dirt. His expression looked slightly disgruntled, but at the same time, nothing could hide his growing smile and a look of joy in his round eyes.

"...I did it."

It was a whisper at first before the words quickly gained volume. "I DID IT!" Luffy shot up with energy, almost looking just as excited and happy like he just ate a full course meal with meats and ramens cooked by the blonde-haired man. "My punch was like a pistol! Did you see it Ace? I finally did it!" He turns around to his older brother and smiles widely.

"Yeah, yeah." Ace grunts, but a small genuine smile tilted the corner of his lips. "Congrats, you finally did it. You're still a hundred years too early to beat me though! You even lost again." He snickers.

The straw hat boy frowns and grumbles loudly, "Nuh-uh! I was close to beating him this time! And I bet I can finally beat you this time Ace!"

Ace's right eye twitches and his smile turns eerily calm, but anyone can notice the angry tick marks appearing on his forehead. "Haha...I guess I'll have to beat you again and shut your mouth."

Luffy sticks out his tongue childishly and starts to make weird, taunting noises which only made the dark aura around Ace bigger as the freckled boy took out his metal pipe.

Watching the two brothers about to fight, the blonde-haired man sighs loudly and takes out his beloved book.

"Oi, stop fighting brats."

He smacks both of their heads once with his book. Maybe it'll help Ace and Luffy become smarter if he hit them hard enough with knowledge. Literally.

"OW!' Ace and Luffy shouted simultaneously, but the latter blinked his teary eyes in realization and shouted confusedly "Ehh! Why does it hurt even though I'm made of rubber?!"

"That's because knowledge always hurts." The blue-eyed man deadpans, half-serious and half-joking. He puts back his book inside the cloak and continues on saying, "Putting aside the joke, you two are still incapable of using it... At least, not yet."

His deep blue eyes, which seemed to momentarily glow bright and knowing, briefly glances over to Ace.

"Well, one of you already awakened it without realizing."

Ace furrows his brow, feeling as if their oldest brother-like figure just revealed something important. But he didn't know what the other meant by 'awakened'.

An odd feeling appears in his chest; a heavy weight that seemed to pull him down, it wasn't painful though, just...

Something felt missing.

 _But what was it?_

His train of thought was interrupted when he feels a familiar warmth land on top of his head, the freckled boy looks up to see the blues eyes staring at him, but this time they weren't glowing. It was the same shade of comforting blue, as if the sky and ocean merged together, just like that day when Ace and Luffy met him for the first time. From the corner of his eye, he also sees his younger brother looking at him with a open, worried expression.

Unknowingly, the tenseness in his small shoulders drains away, as Ace let the tall man ruffle his messy black hair.

"You look a bit dazed there, do you want to train another day?" The blonde withdrew his hand and asked.

Ace scoffs loudly, crossing his arms and glares fiercely. "No way in hell!"

The tall man grins at the freckled boy's determined response. "Thought so."

Then he turns to Luffy and gives him a proud smile. "You really did improve a lot, kiddo. You swung your arm around multiple times so you can use the spinning force to both stretch your arm to its limits, and to maximize the hitting power. Because you released it from above, the gravity made your attack a lot more stronger and faster too. That was a very clever idea, Luffy."

Luffy brightens with a big smile on his face, something warm curling in his chest. No one's ever called his ideas clever before. He decides he likes the praise, especially because the blonde-haired man says it like it's a good thing.

"Can I spar with you again! Pleaseee!" The straw hat boy jumps open and down. "I really wanna practice my new move!"

"It's my turn to fight him!" Ace glares at the shorter boy, "There's no way you can beat him if you couldn't even land a single hit."

"That's why I need to practice more!" Luffy argues back with a stubborn frown on his childish features. For once, the younger boy seemed to say something with a logical reasoning behind it, although it was unintentional and he didn't realize it.

Once again, Ace's right eye twitches.

The blue-eyed man sighs at the two brothers.

It can't be helped, he needed to use his last resort.

"If you two start a fight again, no free lunch today."

.

.

.

Wow, he never would've thought the entire forest could become silent like a graveyard

* * *

 **II.**

* * *

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **CLANG**_

Ace let out a loud 'tch' when his metal pipe was deflected away by the other's flick of a wrist. With a quick footwork, he jumps back and catches it with one hand. He charged, simultaneously lashing out with his metal pipe as soon as he reached the blonde-haired man. Dodging the swipes with ease, a pair of blue eyes noted the wide sweep of each reckless strike.

"Focus, Ace." The blue-eyed man called out as he continued to avoid the metal weaponry. "Don't just mindlessly swing at my closest body part. That just wastes both energy and time."

Narrowing his dark eyes, the freckled boy jumped and swung his metal pipe downward; while still in mid-air he also moved his left leg in a quick kick aimed at the other's face.

Dodging the downward strike with a side step, the blonde caught the boy's leg, neatly tossing him away and sending him crashing into the trunk of a tree. Ace coughed slightly from impact, his back stinging a bit. His gaze became sharper and determined, however, as he stood up and readied his metal pipe again.

"Remember what I said about patience." The blonde called out cheerfully. "Aim at openings."

Ace's left brow twitched, he gritted out. "You never show a opening!" He knew he sounded like a sore loser right now and secretly felt glad Luffy was away hunting. Although he couldn't help but still feel worried and protective, he knew the blonde-haired man's friend (the fox) went with Luffy to protect him. Ace inwardly shivered when he remembered seeing the seemingly innocent and cute fox show its true nature during its hunting time. It was downright terrifying.

The tall man raised his hand and tapped the side of his head, a look of humor in his blue eyes. "Think. If your opponent doesn't have openings, then make one."

Cursing in his mind, Ace charges forward once again, but not before he suddenly threw his metal pipe high up in the air. He lashes out with a fist to the other's abdomen. The taller figure immediately blocked it before jumping over the follow-up sweep of Ace's leg.

Suddenly, a small shadow descends over the blonde. The freckled boy grins when he sees the blue-eyed man momentarily shifted his attention to the metal pipe falling from above. He quickly changed his posture and twisted, aiming a round-house kick to the other's chest.

 _Got him!_

"Not bad."

Without looking, the blonde caught the leg that had been aimed at his chest and with a gentle but deft twist only strong enough to throw the raven-haired boy off-balance and spin him around, the blue-eyed man had Ace's arms neatly pinned behind him as he caught the metal pipe and finished the spar by tapping the side of the weapon against the boy's neck.

"But still reckless and predictable."

Growling loudly, Ace craned his head around to scowl up at the blonde. "I believe I win again. Maybe next time." Grinning amiably, he released the freckled boy and Ace scrambled up, shaking out his slightly numb arms.

"...Tch!" Ace frowns, a visible emotion of frustration on his face.

He couldn't even hit his opponent with a decent hit, and he knew the man was holding back and purposefully going easy on him. That frustrated him to no end. He didn't even remember how many spars he had with the blue-eyed man and the progress he'd made so far seemed small.

He couldn't stay weak.

He needed to get stronger.

Everything would become meaningless if he didn't.

"Ace."

"What." Ace snapped, irritated and refusing to look at his older brother-like figure.

"Ace." This time, the voice was firm but still gentle.

The dark-haired boy's shoulders tenses a little. Slowly, Ace looked up and found himself under the blonde's stare. He forced himself to look back steadily, never looking away. For a brief moment, he sees a flash of approval and respect in the other's blue eyes. Inwardly, Ace relaxes with relief. For a reason he had yet to figure out, he didn't want to disappoint the blonde, who became his and Luffy's oldest brother-like figure over the past month. It always made him anxious to have that unwavering gaze on him though; as if the blonde-haired man held nothing but absolute trust on him and Luffy. As if he knew they would become something greater in the future.

He sometimes thought it might be easier to look away when that gaze pierced him, but somehow, he knew instinctively that that would disappoint this man more than anything else.

 _As long as you can hold your head high and never submit to anyone, not even to yourself,_ the gaze always seemed to say. _There is nothing you could ever do to disappoint me._

"You are getting stronger." The blonde speaks with such confidence and honesty, momentarily making Ace feel shell-shocked. "You have the potential to become a powerful fighter. But right now, you are still inexperienced and young. Mindlessly training every day will lead you to nowhere. Rushing things will only make yet harder for you to notice what is truly important and what is not."

He settles a steady gaze on the boy.

"A mind filled with doubt and hesitation will only become your downfall too."

Ace's right hand twitched, curling his fingers slightly into a fist. The dark-haired boy fights back the urge to look away, because that would not only disappoint the man but himself as well.

"...I,"

His throat suddenly feels dry and tight. This feeling felt familiar, a feeling he wished to never remember. The feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and grief. That day when he lost his other brother. That day when he almost lost his only younger brother.

 _Everything was burning,_

 _Dadan was by his side,_

 _Facing against the enemy. The pirate. A captain._

 _No,_

 _It was a creature with rotten heart and morals, only caring for his own greed and nothing else._

 _It **disgusted** him._

"I don't know why but," Ace says with a quiet yet strong voice, "I keep remembering about that day. It was the day when Grey Terminal was burned to nothing but ashes. I was with Dadan to fight a pirate, he was crazy, he almost killed Luffy. I couldn't forgive him. He was the one who took away Sabo from us. And I knew, if I left that guy alive, he will kill Luffy and Dadan and everyone. I couldn't let that happen so I fought. I didn't run, because I never run away from my battles."

He sees the blonde-haired man simply listening to him, his blue gaze honest and patient and knowing, which oddly made the boy feel relaxed.

"There was fire everywhere. Surrounded us like a sea of flames."

Ace's eyes glazes over slightly, digging deeper into the memories that seemed to happen so long ago.

"And yet, I didn't feel afraid."

Each and every word that left his mouth slowly gained strength and volume, the freckled boy speaks without a trace of hesitance and doubt.

"That moment, that time, I didn't feel afraid at the thought of being burned alive. But I knew I had to save Dadan and go back to where Luffy was."

A flicker of orange and red appears in Ace's eyes, his gaze unwavering and almost as if something sparked to life in the depth of darkness.

"Ever since that day you saved Luffy's life, I feel like I've been missing something important. I don't know why but I feel incomplete without it."

Black eyes clashes with blue eyes; the former young, desperate, but not broken anymore. The latter never-changing, ancient, gentle, but still dangerous.

"I want to know what it is."

Golden strands of his bangs fell across the man's blue eyes, his expression eerily calm and collected.

Then the cloaked man sighs deeply and briefly closes his eyes, as if he was tired, but slowly opens them again to reveal two glowing orbs.

"...I never would've thought you'll be chosen so early." The golden-haired man replies with a clear, resonating yet gentle voice. Sky and ocean seemed to be trapped in his eyes, deep yet bright, inhumane and otherworldly. Ace fights back the urge to take a step back, his eyes slightly wide, but not in fear nor terror. His instincts screamed at him to run, but at the same time, to never move his gaze away from the **being** in front of him.

"It was raining when I visited my friend's homeland, because I felt a little tired of wandering around. Most of the world became a boring place to me, and yet, this certain island called out to me." The man said, his voice casual and easygoing despite the tenseness in the air and the suffocating presence he emitted. It made Ace wonder how exactly old this man was to be able to travel around the world. The boy fought the urge, the rising curiosity, if the blonde ever went to the same place as the Pirate King. That name still brought a feeling of bitterness and hatred, but it was nothing compared to the past. All he needed to do was become the strongest and make the entire world know his name.

"On that same day and place, a child died by drowning. I saved him because I had the power to do so, but not without a cost. The child's body was cursed. The river, no, the _ocean_ tried to steal his life because he was a devil fruit user. The devil fruits are created by the ocean itself, they were created for living beings to eat and gain power, in exchange for their cursed bodies. Once they drown in any body of water, so long as it connected back to the sea, they are destined to sacrifice their souls to maintain the world's balance.

They are the **chosen ones**."

The blue-eyed man continued, almost like he was telling a story or the future.

"...He was meant to to die because his life should've ended on that specific time, date, and place. However, the child didn't die. I was able to bring him back to life only because he had the **will** to live, to survive, and it was so powerful that he broke his curse. The spirit of the river took liking to him as well and granted his wish, releasing his soul. But in exchange, a different destiny was created for the child who defied his fate.

In the near future, the child will set out to follow his dream in the ocean.

Again and again, he will face countless number of life or death situations.

And yet, despite all odds and enemies who are far stronger than him, the child will survive many battles, hardships, and challenges.

He will find people whom he can call them his comrades, friends, and family.

He will become one of the candidates worthy of claiming **the title**.

But someday, without fail,

The child will die by the hands of fury and hatred.

His death will bring grief to the world, and his **burning will** will be passed on to many people.

The people will fight for **revenge**.

The people will sacrifice themselves for **peace**

The people will destroy everything for **reputation and glory**.

The war, triggered by the child's death, will make the entire world to fall apart.

Because the throne without a **King** will only bring endless cycle of destruction."

The blonde paused briefly, his blue gaze unwavering and intense, a stare that made the freckled boy incapable of thinking, speaking, and moving. Ace didn't know why but he had the sudden urge to cover his ears and scream, as if he shouldn't be listening to what the man was about to say. He couldn't understand why the blonde-haired man was talking about all of these things. He shouldn't feel bothered by it, he didn't even know who this so-called "child" was. So why did it matter to him?

And yet,

 _If I can be there, I won't let him die._

Why did he feel something painful and suffocating in his chest when he heard the kid's, a stranger's, fate? His death?

Why did he feel helpless rage and murderous intent towards the one who will kill "him" in the future?

"The child is still alive today." Ace was unable to stop the immense relief that washed over him at the other's words. He didn't have time to question the odd feeling, however, when he heard the next words spoken by the blue-eyed man.

"And he is someone you swore to die in his place one day, Ace."

The eleven-year old boy draws in a sharp breath, his blood running cold at the man's words.

 _What?_

The blue gaze peers into Ace's eyes, who was frozen with disbelief, shock, and confusion. The freckles across his cheeks seemed more apparent; a stark contrast on his deathly pale skin. The boy almost looked like a hollowed shell, incapable of breathing, moving, and couldn't understand a single word the man was saying. But he did. Because slowly yet surely, the dawning realization was making him feel nauseous and suffocated. His mind was already connecting the dots, unable to stop the thoughts that plagued him. Because there were only two people in this entire world that he would sacrifice his life without hesitation. They were his family. One of them was standing in front of him, his older brother-like figure, who was watching him with the ancient, powerful, yet gentle gaze. The only remaining one was...

 _...Who **died** that day?_

 _ **He** drowned, I couldn't save **him**._

 _But this man brought **him** back to **life**._

 _A **cursed** body._

 ** _Devil Fruit._**

 _I know him, of course I do._

 _Because he is my-_

"...Who is it?"

A deep, animalistic growl crawls its way up of Ace's throat. His small hands reaches forward and grips the other's shirt tightly, his nails digging into the fabric. His coal-like eyes were no longer the color of darkness nor obsidian, they were ablaze with fierce protectiveness and intentions of murdering someone. Over and over again. Until the earth and heaven itself will turn red from the color of their blood. Because the thought of a worthless _scum_ trying to kill one of his most important treasures was unforgivable. He would murder, no, _destroy_ them. He will break all of their bones and burn them alive, until nothing but their ashes will remain.

He doesn't care if he still is a brat, if anyone ever dares to hurt what he holds dear ( _he didn't want to feel that despair, the_ _crushing grief and hopelessness that choked him and the voice in his mind whispering **weakpatheticCOWARD-**_ ), he will hunt them down and make them regret that they were alive. "Who is the guy that's going to kill him?! I will fucking rip the bastard limb by limb if they lay **single** finger on him!"

If everything what the man said was true,

He had prevent **it** from happening. No matter what the cost.

Seeing the visible change in Ace's presence, the blue-eyed man hides his amused grin at the sight.

Still growing, weak, and inexperienced as a lion cub. Certainly wouldn't survive for long if the boy were to set out to the sea right at this moment. The outside world was a lot more harsher, cruel and merciless; both Ace and Luffy needed to get stronger if they want to survive.

...And if that _prophecy_ , what he saw really was the future and the truth,

Then it would be interesting how things were going to change from now on.

"...What you need to do right now," The blonde man finally replied, unfazed by the boy's rage and meets Ace's eyes, his blue gaze as hard as steel. "Is grow stronger. Prepare yourself for the future, because the one who you want to kill is hiding in the darkness. They will show their true colors once the time comes. Even I don't know what they might look like, what their name is, and where they are. But they do exist."

Gritting his teeth, the boy releases his hands from the other's cloak and takes a step back. The wildfire-like rage and predatory gleam in his eyes never disappearing, as if he was ready to go on a hunt and kill the prey that lurked in the shadows. He opens his mouth to argue-

- **Suddenly** , Ace feels momentarily blinded by the sunlight peering through the clouds.

And then he feels the sudden _heat_.

A mixture of oranges and red appears, lighting up his entire face with similar shades and colors.

Ace stares. And stares. Before finally blinking his wide eyes, because right in front of him, the boy sees a burning sphere of flames floating on top of the blonde's outreached hand. He opens his mouth in disbelief and awe, noticing the flames touched the other's palm but it didn't burn him at all. He stares at the fire, almost entranced by it, and feels the same feeling of _something_ in his chest. The unnamed emotion intensified and without thinking, Ace takes a step forward and slowly raises his hand. To reach out and-

" _ **Ace**_."

A unfamiliar voice calls his name, and the spell-like trance was broken, the boy quickly withdraws his hand. Ace shook his head and stared at the fire with wide eyes. _What the hell was that?_ For a brief moment, he didn't have control over his body and his mind blanked out. He thought he heard someone call his name too, but who? He brings his hand closer to his chest and frowns, frustrated and confused by the tugging sensation of his instincts trying to bring him closer to the flames.

"Don't be afraid, or it will simply react to your fears. It seems like **it** wanted to meet you for a very long time though."

The tall man said with a reassuring tone and smiles almost apologetically.

Surprised and confused, Ace looks up and notices the man's eyes changing to a deep shade of purple, mixing with the color of red from the flames.

"The... _fire_...wanted to meet me?" Ace replies, frowning and glaring at the flaming sphere. Everything about this current situation didn't make sense, he wasn't that smart to begin with and the words spoken by the older figure simply made him feel more confused. "Is it...alive?" He questions cautiously but with a child-like curiosity.

The expression on the blonde's face was unreadable now, but his eyes regained their deep shade of blue, and the sphere of flames floating above his palm seemed to burn stronger and glow brighter. As if it was responding to the man's words like a tamed yet dangerous beast; the intensity of the flaming tendrils only seemed to increase further when Ace asked the questions.

"All elements in the nature are alive." The blonde answered vaguely. "They're just incapable of talking, moving, and acting like humans do. But they are beings who have existed far longer than any living creatures on the world."

Ace stares at the fire in slight awe, noticing how the flames started to swirl around the man's arm. But it never burned his sleeve nor arm, simply slithering like a snake, before forming back to its sphere-like shape. It almost looked like a miniature sun.

"...Does this have to do with why I keep remembering about that fight with Bluejam?" Ace asked in realization, gritting out the name with venom. It still boiled his blood with anger at the thought of that cruel bastard, the one who was responsible for the separation and eventual death of his best friend. His brother. Despite the fact that the pirate was burned alive and died, it will never be enough to completely erase his hatred.

The freckled boy shouts in panic when the flames suddenly exploded, moving uncontrollably around the blonde-haired man, the flaming tendrils swirling across the air between them like claws.

The man remained completely calm, even looked exasperated by the fire's behavior, and simply laid a hand over the flames before it finally shrunk back to its normal size.

"Yes." The blonde answered Ace's question.

"You don't feel afraid of the bringer of destruction and life, because it is part of you. If you feel anger, it will react and destroy anything that dares to get in your way. You keep remembering about the fight with Bluejam because that was the moment when _ **it**_ recognized your power and will." The freckled boy barely refrains himself from asking why the man knew about pirate he fought against, because he knew the blonde wasn't just a normal person from the very beginning. It was as if the older figure always knew everything.

"What do you mean?" Ace furrows his brow, not understanding what the other meant by someone...or something recognized his power.

With a reassuring smile, the blue-eyed man slowly bends down on his one knee, bringing the sphere of flames closer to Ace and placed it in his hands. The said-boy accepted it without hesitation, and before he can come back to his senses and give it back to the blonde, the sphere glowed with intense light. Suddenly, the entire clearing turned into a sea of fire in matter of seconds. The flaming tendrils created a large ring around the boy and the man, but never hurting or burning them and the forest. The small sphere of flames remained above the blonde's hand, only to slowly die down and reveal a glowing, orange object.

Ace narrows his eyes, trying to see through the burning embers to get a clearer view, and widens them when he finally saw it.

It was a fruit; colored in a deep shade of oranges and red, just like the burning flames around them and had many swirls with flame-shaped patterns. It was round and small enough to be carried by one hand. It should be his first time seeing this fruit, and yet all he felt was the feeling of relief and joy. As if he finally found what was missing inside of him and it almost felt natural like breathing to hold it. He could sense the power emitted from the fruit, reverberating through him with a comforting warmth.

"You were **chosen** to become the bearer of its power, Ace."

As the boy listens to the other's words, he finally realizes this wasn't just a strange fruit.

"Over the years, people have feared them, believing it to be the fruits of Sea Devil. There are many rumors about them, but most of them, if not all, are wrong about the curse and the method of obtaining its power."

It was a _Devil Fruit_.

"They do not appear in front of living beings that they do not approve of. They have their own will to choose their bearer, looking for a worthy creature capable of controlling their powers. Amongst all of them, the **Mera Mera No Mi** is one of the hardest power to control. If a human, for example, ate it and cannot fully control its ability; they will be reduced to nothing but ashes. This fruit seeks a owner who will never bow to anyone's command. The one who has a presence of a **King**."

Ace tensed, because the word sounded similar to the certain title that he always heard in his childhood; the rotten name that dragged him down and brought nothing but pain, humiliation, anger, and hatred. But in the back of his mind, the boy knew the man was referring to something else, which he didn't know what it was.

"...If I eat this fruit and learn how to fully control its power..."

Obsidian eyes looks up, clashes with the familiar blue gaze, and a spark of oranges and red appeared in Ace's eyes. He tightened his hold around the fruit, the tips of his fingers almost digging into its flame-like swirls.

"Will I become strong enough to change the future?"

The blue-eyed man smiles, and it was a smile that always made Ace feel more confident and braver; the one that showed nothing but honesty and unwavering belief in him.

"If you truly believe that you can, then nothing can stop you from changing it."

Holding up the fruit in his hand, Ace stares at it.

"I will."

The boy promised. Not a trace of hesitance was visible in his eyes, only showing a will of forged steel and burning flames. It wasn't the eyes that belonged to a mere child anymore, but a gaze that held the hidden potential of a conqueror and a power that would make even the strongest beast in this mountain to submit. Because there will be a threat in the future, a enemy he had to annihilate, who will one day commit a crime that would not only cause a war and countless lives to be lost...

His little brother was one of them.

And that was **unforgivable**.

Before the day when he turns seventeen and set out to his journey, to hunt down the culprit ( _and to keep his other promise and make his dream come true_ ), Ace will make sure that he won't be the only one who will become stronger.

Because after all,

Big brothers always looked after their younger ones.

.

.

.

.

.

Bringing the fruit closer, Ace opens his mouth and...

Bites.

* * *

 **III.**

* * *

.

.

.

.

.

"I am~ the~"

Luffy sings loudly, walking through the forest colored in bright, deep shades of oranges and red. The sun was setting and the entire mountain looked like it was covered in a sea of flames, but the sight was oddly beautiful, nostalgic, and made most people who saw it sentimental and emotional.

Well, except for a certain human boy who was singing his heart out. His clear, loud voice echoed across the entire forest like a tiger's roar.

"Banana peel~ Monkey thought it was a banana~ and tried to eat it~"

Behind him, the boy drags a large, salmon-like fish that was tied up with a rope. Despite its enormous size, Luffy carried it across the ground like it weighed nothing.

"But the monkey~ slipped on the banana peel~ Ah~ What an idiot~"

In front of him, a golden-furred fox trotted ahead, but occasionally looked over its shoulder to make sure Luffy didn't get lost in the woods. The said-boy closes his eyes and let out a happy 'Shishishi!'

"They'll be so surprised when they see this big fish! I can't wait to eat it!" His stomach growls loudly. "Urgh...I'm hungry..."

Luffy looks up and sees Konoha waiting for him, the small animal was sitting on a tree trunk and stared at the boy with its slitted eyes. "Thanks for waiting for me Konoha!"

The fox moved its white-tipped tail side to side, as if it was saying 'your welcome'.

The straw hat boy grinned widely and increased his pace, taking quicker and larger steps. His grin widened when he sat the entrance to the hidden place, the open path bright and colored in same shade of fire-like light. He could finally see his brothers and eat dinner with them!

"-A...ce..."

The joy in Luffy's eyes disappears, and the rope he was holding in his small hand dropped,

The boy stared with his smile gone, and in its place, a look of utter shock and despair painted the blank canvas.

 _Grey Terminal._

A single word entered his mind, numbing and almost painfully loud.

In Luffy's eyes,

He saw the entire place burning in _ **flames**_.

* * *

.

.

.

 **Author Note:**

 _ **Q (1):** Will Naruto have descendants or adopted family in your f_ _ic?_

 ** _A:_** In this world, **he** doesn't have any blood-related descendants. But later on in the story, he might "adopt" a few people. However, right now 'he' is trying to keep a certain distance and act more like a guardian of sort; although many people already sees him as part of their family.

 ** _Q (2):_** _His abilities interest me did he eat a devil fruit or is this another factor of chakra?_

 ** _A:_** No, **he** didn't eat a devil fruit. But if someone were to describes his abilities, they're more similar to techniques created by chakra, but not quite the same. It'll be more revealed later on in the chapters.

 _ **Q (3):** So wait, This Naruto is Post-War who is immortal._

 _So already, Post-War Naruto stomps all Yonkou easily._  
 _So Naruto is OP in One Piece World._

 _After that, how the fuck Naruto let Tenryubito acts like that with slaves and others shits._

 _ **A:** _Yes, **he** is an immortal and lived for a very long time. Almost a little too long. Currently, **he** is strong enough to face the Fleet Admiral, The Admirals, The Four Emperors, and The Seven Warlords. Of course, it will still be a challenge for **him** to fight all of them at the same time though. Maybe.

Compared to **his** past self, who was more heroic and didn't hesitate to save his comrades, the main character of this story has accepted **his** own flaws and the unstoppable cycles in this world. Throughout the centuries, **he** has tried to put a end to the repeating cycle of slavery among many other things. And **he** did successfully save countless number of slaves. **He** fought in wars and brought victory to the "right side"; the ones who believed that their own version of "justice" was correct. But **he** has learned that humans will always be foolish and repeat the same mistake again, and eventually stopped taking sides when wars happened, simply watching over them.

The time will come, however, when the slavery and the "cycles" will completely end. The so-called humans "chosen" by gods themselves will be punished, but it isn't the right moment yet.

I cannot fully reveal **his** past or the level of his power because it will be revealed soon in the future, but I hope this answer will be satisfying for now. Thank you for your question.

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Thank you for reading.

\- En


End file.
